Done? Definitely Not Done
by Dorian-Express
Summary: James Potter is over Lily Evans. He's tired of being berated and chasing. Despite being over her, as Head Boy, he has no choice to but to talk to her.


I do not own harry potter.

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\- Done? Definitely Not Done-

"Prongs, it's not a good idea." Sirius clamped his hand around James's shoulder. He knew where James wanted to go and he knew what was going to happen if James approached Lily Evans.

James eyed Sirius and weighed whether or not to approach the fiery redhead that plagued his every thought. "Last time," James said.

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but stopped when he saw that James was not going to back down. Maybe it would be the last time and maybe it would be the last "last time". "It's your funeral, Prongs," was all Sirius could say.

"Prongs, what do you even want to say?" Remus asked, lugging his last piece of luggage off the train and onto the platform. He stuck his hand out and helped Peter off the train.

James scratched the top of head and shrugged. "I'll wing it, I guess."

Peter sighed exasperatedly. "Prongs, I'm with Padfoot and Moony. This is not going to end well for you, buddy."

James looked at each of his friends and sighed. He just wanted to wish her a happy summer holiday, not ask her out. But even the simple gesture of saying hi to her in the hallways tended to backfire in his face. One time, it literally did backfire when Lily threw a hex his way. If it weren't for his reflexives honed by years of quidditch, he would have eaten a nasty hex right in the face.

James looked over his shoulder at the object of his spurned affections. She seemed quite happy just talking to her friends. He loved the smile on her face and the way her brilliant, green eyes seemed to light up with laughter. But never for him. No matter how many times he tried, she never smiled or laughed for him.

James turned back to his friends. "Last time."

Sirius nodded and pat James on the shoulder. "Last time, buddy." Remus and Peter gave James a thumbs up and gestured that they'll be waiting near where Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew stood.

James stalked up to Lily and her two friends, Marlene and Emmaline. The two had immediately seen James creep up behind Lily and their faces indicated how pleased they were to see him. "What do you want?" Marlene asked disgustedly.

Lily shot around and her happy expression quickly melted into what James could only describe as a deep resentment. "What do you want, Potter?" James noticed her hand go for something in her pants pocket and his arms shot up immediately in defense.

"I…I just wanted to-"

"To what? Ask me out again?"

James took a step back. "No! I was-"

"Ask me to snog in a broom closet? Ask me to Hogsmeade? Spit it out, Potter!" Lily yelled. She took a step forward and poked James in the chest with her bony finger with each word she spoke.

It was then that James realized that he was never going to get anywhere with her. She was always going to find him repulsive. No matter how much James wanted her to forget the last six years, it wasn't going to happen. And maybe it was time to cut his losses.

James laughed. He didn't know what overcame him, but laughter shook him to his core. James peered down at Lily. She was bewildered at James's laughter. It wasn't his usual whimsical laugh, it was dark and almost sad.

"You know what, Evans?" James said after he was finished laughing.

Lily raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "What?"

"I'm done," James said. He laughed once more. "I'm so done with this shit."

"Done with what?" Lily asked. Marlene and Emmaline stared at James with the same incredulous expression on their face.

"I'm done with you! I'm finally done with you! Heavens oh my! I'm done!" James yelled into the sky. "You know what Evans? I'm sorry for all the shit I did to you, I truly am. But I'm done with you!"

Lily took a step forward and stared James in the eyes. "Thank god, you're done with me. Because I have wanted you out of my life since forever!" Lily spat venomously.

James smirked. "All I wanted to do was wish you a happy summer holiday, Evans. But fuck you, that's all," James muttered before stalking off to where his friends stood, wide-eyed and mouths agape.

Whatever curses or insults Lily threw his way, James didn't hear them. He just strolled casually through the aisle of stunned faces to his three friends. Even Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew, who never seemed to pay attention to the banter of the Marauders, seemed to be quite flabbergasted at what just happened.

Sirius was the first to snap out of it. "Are you okay, James?" he asked.

James nodded fervently. "Never better, Padfoot. I just want to say sorry to the lot of you for putting up with my crap," James said. He smiled big and bright for his friends before ushering them off the platform and into the nearest restaurant for a well-deserved end of the year meal.

That entire summer, James didn't think of Lily. He thought it would be hard, but it wasn't. It was quite easy in fact. Playing quidditch with Sirius, exploring the woods with Remus and the other Marauders in their animagus form, and being a teenager seemed to take up most of his mind. Even nights when he stayed awake, he didn't think of the redheaded shrew.

It was the middle of the summer when his headboy badge came. James was sitting at the breakfast table, flanked by Sirius and Remus, who had come over for the weekend. James's parents had gone away on urgent business and had left the three boys to their own devices for the week. Peter was off in France, probably snogging a Frenchwoman and eating his weight in cheese. You know what they say about a rat and cheese, right?

"When are our letters coming?" Remus asked, not looking up from the Daily Prophet. He took a piece of buttered toast and stuffed it into his mouth.

James shrugged. He picked at the plate of eggs his house-elves had cooked up for him. "I don't really want the school year to start anyways. NEWTS and all that bloody noise."

"I'm sure you just want to avoid a certain redhead, Prongs," Sirius muttered offhandedly.

"Evans? You can just say Evans, Padfoot. No need to avoid using her name! She isn't Voldemort," James said.

Sirius scoffed. "She might as well be."

Remus glanced at Padfoot for a moment before returning to his paper. "That's not nice, Padfoot. Lily is still a human being."

Sirius leaned back in his chair and took a sip of black coffee. "So was Voldemort."

James finished off the plate of bacon in front of him and sighed. "As much as I love comparing Evans and Voldemort, I'd really prefer it if we didn't talk about either. Doesn't make for good breakfast talk."

It was then that a large, tawny owl landed on the perch outside the kitchen window with three envelops tied to one of its feet. Sirius leapt up from his chair and retrieved the letters.

"Where do you keep the treats?" Sirius asked James.

James pointed to the top left drawer on the right. "Third shelf, Padfoot."

Sirius reached up and took down the small baggie of treats. He took out a large piece and tossed it to the tawny owl, who devoured the treat before flying off.

"Hogwarts Letters, I presume," Remus said as he flipped a page of the Daily Prophet.

Sirius dropped the three letters on the table before sitting back down. "Such good intuition, Moony! I'm surprised you're not that…Sherlock guy I've read about in those Muggle books."

Remus chuckled without looking up from the article. "Sherlock Holmes? I'm surprised you've read anything Muggle or non-Muggle related, Padfoot. Good for you, buddy."

Sirius flicked a piece of toast at Remus's head which hit Remus in the forehead. "Touché, Padfoot," Remus chuckled.

James reached across the table and picked up his letter. It was hefty, which he thought must have been because of his Captain's badge. He had lead the Gryffindor team to three finals and two consecutive Cups after all. James ripped open his letter and out dropped a silver badge with H.B etched into its face.

"HB? Headboy? What the fuck? Dumbledore made me Headboy?" James all but yelled.

Sirius barked with laughter, startling Remus and James. "Headboy? Has the old bat finally cracked?" Sirius cried. Tears of laughter streamed down his face.

Remus took the badge that James had thrown onto the table. "I can honestly say that I agree with Padfoot!"

James readjusted his glasses as he read the letter Dumbledore had personally addressed to him. He read it twice. Three times. "I'm Headboy," James muttered dejectedly. He slumped into his chair and covered his face with his hands. "Headboy."

Sirius jumped up from his seat and screamed with joy. "I'm captain of the Quidditch team? Maybe the old bat hasn't gone crazy after all!" Sirius did a dance while James groaned into his hands. As if this could get any worse. James thought it was nearly impossible, but it was.

"Who's Headgirl?" Remus asked.

James's head shot up from out of his hands. "Oh…oh no," James murmured to himself as it dawned on him who was the only possibility of being Headgirl.

The jubilant smile etched onto Sirius's face quickly disappeared as it dawned on him as well who was going to be Headgirl. "Oh Merlin. Oh…Merlin."

Remus turned to James and asked, "Do you want me to write her? To make sure?"

James shook his head, but no words came out.

"Just when you thought you were done," Remus sighed. He gestured for the house elves to clean up, seeing as the three of them probably wouldn't be able to stomach another morsel of food after what had just happened.

"Prongs, it's just Head work. Probably some scheduling and maybe some planning, but that's it! You can still be done with her," Sirius said.

James looked up at Sirius hopefully. "Do you really think so, Padfoot?"

"No. The Heads have their own dormitory. It's mandatory that you live there if you're Headboy, Prongs," Remus interjected.

James groaned. Just when he thought he was done with the redhead. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Remus gently squeezed James's shoulder. "Look, James. You hear me using your name and not Prongs? This is serious — Stop it, Padfoot — Head work is serious. I don't know what Dumbledore is thinking, but this is a chance for you to show your parents and everyone that you aren't just a prankster who just coasts through life. There's a war outside and maybe Dumbledore chose you because there is a war outside," Remus said.

James looked up at him with the most confused look on his face Remus had ever seen. The normally confident James Potter couldn't possibly be this dejected. "But…I'm not, you know."

Remus shook his head, but it was Sirius who spoke up. "Look, Prongs. You might not be the Headboy that's incredibly intelligent like Moony or abides by every rule like Evans, but you are a leader! That's what a Headboy needs to be, Prongs! Especially now more than ever!"

James smiled softly at Sirius. "So you'll take care of my baby?"

Sirius smirked and barked with laughter. "I'll run your ass into the ground, Prongs."

"I can help you with prefect business, Prongs. I don't want you to get into arguments with Lily over responsibilities," Remus said. "It's more than just scheduling and patrolling. You can't abuse your privileges as Headboy! So that means no abusing the Slytherins or giving people you don't like a hundred and one detentions."

James nodded as he took in Remus's advice. "I don't think all Slytherins are evil because they're not. Only the ones that follow Voldemort are evil, I get that. I don't plan on abusing my powers, Moony."

Sirius nudged James in the ribs with his elbow. "Maybe a little, right?"

James smirked. "I got to repay them for taking the Cup from me in our fourth year, right?"

"Prongs…" Remus sighed.

"Okay, okay, Moony! I get it," James quickly said.

The rest of the summer passed by relatively quickly. Peter joined the boys after he got home from France. After an uneventful trip to Diagon Alley and an outing to Scotland, the date turned to September 1st. It was time to go back to Hogwarts.

"James, take care! Write sometimes, honey," Mrs. Potter said. She wiped a tear from her eyes.

James sighed and wrapped his arms around his petite mother. "I'll be good, Mother. I'm Headboy after all."

Mr. Potter patted his son on the shoulder and pulled his son into a tight embrace. "Headboy is good and all, but I'd much rather my son bring home another Cup. Don't forget to take care of Sirius," Mr. Potter said.

Sirius chuckled. "I'll remember that, Mr. Potter. I'll make sure Jamesies here brings home another Cup," Sirius laughed. He leaned down and hugged Mrs. Potter and then shook hands with Mr. Potter, both of whom had become basically his parents.

"Let's go, Prongs," Sirius said. He pointed to his watch. "It's already 10:45, we don't want to miss the train."

James nodded and turned to his mother and father. They were old, James could see that. He feared for what waited for them outside. Voldemort was growing stronger and James didn't want to come home to an empty manor next summer. "Take care, mom. Dad."

Mr. Potter smiled at his son. "Of course, James."

"Bye, Sirius," Mrs. Potter said. James and Sirius put their trunks on their trolley and ran through the wall at Station 9 ¾ and reemerged on the other side by the Hogwarts Express. Remus and Peter were talking with Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew, both of whom James had not seen since his parent's summer party a few weeks before.

Remus spotted James and Sirius and waved them over to where they were standing. Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew were talking about possibly visiting Hogsmeade later on in the year and catching up with their son, something Peter seemed vehemently against.

"Prongs! Padfoot! Where are your parents, Prongs?" Peter asked. He nudged his head at his parents and James got the message immediately. Peter needed a lifeline and James was going to be it. Marauder's Honor as it were.

"Mister and Mrs. Pettigrew! Long time no see!" James exclaimed and wrapped his arms around the two.

Mister Pettigrew smiled and patted James on the back. "Oh my, I haven't seen you since the party, chap! How are your parents?"

"They just left! Sorry you couldn't chat with them," James said.

Mrs. Pettigrew put her hand up. "Nonsense, James. We were going to get going anyways. Lots to do at the Ministry!" With that, the two apparated away with a soft pop.

Peter wiped at his brow with the back of his hand. "I thought they'd never leave!"

Sirius barked with laughter and patted Peter on the shoulder. "I love your parents though! Better than mine by far."

Peter shrugged. "Overbearing, they are. They want to visit me on the first Hogsmeade trip! Can you believe them?"

Remus chuckled softly. "Come on, we should get on the train before all the good compartments are taken." He lifted his trunk and got onto the train. The other three followed shortly after.

James scanned through the compartments and found one that was empty on the third train. "In here, guys," He called and the four of them piled into the compartment.

"Who has the candy?" Sirius asked.

Peter pulled out a bag of Bertie's Jellybeans and tossed it to him. "They introduced a new flavor, Padfoot," Peter said with a suspicious smile.

Sirius beamed. "What is it, Wormtail? Is it watermelon? I tried it once in the United States and I love it!"

Peter shook his head. "They _finally_ found the magic recipe to recreate vomit!" Peter exclaimed with a sadistic glee on his face.

"Vomit? That's disgusting," Sirius said with a disgusted expression on his face, but he dug into the bag anyways.

"That reminds me, Prongs. You should probably head up to the Heads Compartment soon," Remus said.

Sirius shot Remus a dubious look. "How does Bertie's remind you of that?"

Remus sighed. "It's just an expression, you idiot."

James stood up and scratched the back of his head. "I was going to have to find her sooner or later, I suppose. I guess I'll see you later, Moony."

"Don't forget your badge, Prongs," Moony said as he took out the Daily Prophet from his satchel. James reached into his pockets and produced the silver pin. He pinned it on the lapel of his jacket and walked up the train to the Heads Compartment. As he moved up the Hogwarts Express, he scanned the compartments out of habit. James saw a lot of first years who seemed to be either too scared to talk or too excited to stop talking. He wondered if he was that small when he was eleven.

The Heads Compartment was at the front of the train, across from the Prefect's lounge. To James's surprise, the compartment was empty. It was significantly smaller than the regular compartments, but seeing as it was for two people, James thought it made sense. He waited inside for Lily Evans to arrive. He wondered what her reaction would be to him being Headboy. It surely wouldn't be good.

James sat up straight as he heard a pair of footsteps approach the door and slid it open. "Hello, I'm Lily Evans," the redhead began until she laid eyes on James.

"Good morning, Evans," James said politely and bowed his head slightly at Lily.

Lily scoffed. "This has got to be a joke! Who did you nick that off of?"

James bit back the instinct to make a callous remark and instead chose to be professional. "Dumbledore sent me a letter instating me as Headboy, Evans. This is not a joke," James said as levelheaded as he could manage. Seeing the redhead made his blood boil, but he remembered Remus's advice in the back of his head. Do not make Lily Evans your enemy.

Lily sat down with a huff. "This is impossible, Potter! You cannot be Headboy!" She pointed at the badge on his shirt and leapt forward to rip it off his jacket.

"Get off me, Evans!" James yelled and pushed Lily off of him. James glared at her and fixed his jacket before sitting back down.

Lily sighed. "I'm sorry about that."

James breathed out and controlled his temper. Yes, she attacked him. Yes, she got a good scratch on his cheek in. And no, he wasn't going to get angry with her. "I'm fine, Evans. Let's just get this out of the way. I'm Headboy, you're Headgirl, and that's it."

Lily groaned again. "If you're Headboy, then you should know your responsibilities. Did Remus tell you about them?"

James nodded. "I know that my behavior has not been exemplary and I may not have been the best student, but I will do my best as Headboy."

Lily scoffed derisively at James. "So I can go out with you?"

James pursed his lips at her words. Of course, she would go there. And it made him want to explode with rage. "No, Evans. I told you that I'm done with you," James retorted through gritted teeth.

Lily scoffed again. "I don't believe you, Potter. Once a dog, always a dog."

"Look, Evans. Believe it or not, I'm just Headboy and you're just Headgirl. There is nothing else there except being roommates and colleagues. I'll live my life and you live yours. We aren't friends or even house mates; we are just colleagues. Don't worry about me bothering you," James said.

James waited for Lily's response. She opened her mouth a few times and James suspected it was to attack him verbally or outright attack him, but she finally said, "Fine. We are co-head students. If we're going to be colleagues and fellow prefects, we should address each other by our first names. It's a tradition, Po- James."

James shook his head. "No, I would prefer it if we stuck to surnames, Evans. Less attachment that way."

Lily growled. "It's tradition, James. It's what we all do!"

James shook his head again. "No, I'll do it with the other prefects. Just not with you, Evans." James ignored the pained expression on Lily's face. He didn't like it either, but it was the only way for him to detach from the notion of a James and Lily if Lily was just Evans.

"You hate me that much?" Lily asked softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper, so unlike her normal boisterous tone that seemed to fill the room.

James shook his head. "I feel…indifferent," he clarified, but deep down he knew it was a lie. All the work he did forgetting her was quickly becoming null and void when he faced her.

Lily was silent and the only noise James could hear was the grinding of the wheels on the steel rails. James looked out the window and admired the lush green scenery before it would turn a sickly yellow color for the fall weather.

James glanced at his watch. It read 12pm, which meant it was time to address the prefects. "Evans, I think it's time to address the prefects," James said, getting up and making sure the HB pin on his jacket was straight.

Lily got up from her seat. James noted the pensive look on her face, but made no mention of it. The less he talked to her, the less likely he would fall into that trap named Lily Evans again. James opened the door for Lily and nodded when she muttered an absentminded thank you.

The prefects were already seated and chatting heartily when James and Lily walked into the compartment. James immediately noticed the odd tension between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins,

James cleared his throat and every single pair of eyes were on him. He scanned the room. Some faces were happy to see him, some were confused, and some gazes were downright hateful. "I am James Potter, as you all probably know, and I am Headboy this year. I know that I may not have treated all of you particularly well in my past years, but I hope to put that behind us. And I'm certainly sure the lot of you realize that I was not a prefect last year, so all this patrolling and scheduling business is awfully new to me, so please don't mind if I screw up once or twice in the upcoming few weeks. Now, please introduce yourself, Evans."

Lily seemed put off for a moment, but regained control after a second. "I am Lily Evans and I will be your Headgirl for the year. I hope we all get along and if the new Prefects have any questions, they can ask me and James here or ask the older prefects. Until then, you are all dismissed."as eleven. to stop talking. He wondere dif habit. James saw a lot of first years who seemed to be e

The prefects got up and moved out the room noisily. Remus stopped in front of James and leaned in to whisper, "We're in our compartment, Prongs. Come by when you're done with Lily." James patted Remus on the shoulder and gently nudged him out the door.

James spotted Severus and stopped him before he walked out the door. Severus scowled when he felt James's hand on his shoulder. "What is it, Potter? Come to gloat?"

James shook his head and sighed. He scratched the back of his head nervously. Remus had told James to talk to Severus. "Look, Severus," James began. James noticed the wince on the Slytherin's face when he used Severus's first name instead of the crass nickname. "I know we haven't always gotten along, but I want you to know that because of our past disagreements, it won't affect how I treat the Slytherin house and that is with impartiality."

Severus grunted before saying, "Likewise, Potter." James nodded and ushered him out the door with a pat on the back. He didn't expect Severus to use his first name, things had been to icy between them in the past to be on a first name basis.

James just hoped that Lily hadn't noticed him using Severus's first name, but unfortunately she did. Lily sprang up into James's face with fire in her eyes. "You can call Severus by his first name, but I'm still Evans to you?" She all but yelled.

James slid past Lily and gathered the documents off the wooden desk. He was determined not to talk to her more than necessary and James deemed this conversation utterly needless. "I'll finish my half of the scheduling and give it to you tonight, Evans," James said curtly before bowing out of the compartment, leaving Lily fuming by herself.

Remus and the others were sitting in their compartment, but James noticed two new faces in with the lot of them. "Marlene, Emmaline, what are the two of you doing here?" James asked.

The two looked up from the conversation they were having and frowned when they saw him. "A bunch of first years invaded our compartment and we saw Remus, and he invited us to join him," Marlene said. She didn't look all too happy to be talking to James and James could understand why.

"So I'm guessing Evans will be joining us later?" James asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Emmaline nodded. "I'll catch her when she walks by later to find our compartment. How come you're not with her? Asking her out or whatever?"

Sirius cleared his throat and shot a vengeful glance at Emmaline, but she did not seem to notice it. James shrugged and sat down next to Sirius. Remus was sitting across from him, reading the Daily Prophet while Emmaline and Marlene returned to their hushed conversation.

"How was the meeting?" Peter asked without looking up from his game.

James shrugged and sighed. It seemed to be all he was doing today. Shrugging and sighing. "It went as I thought it would: Bad."

Remus put down his paper and leaned in, so their conversation couldn't be heard by their two visitors. "It went good, Prongs. Lily and you seemed to be…normal, I dare say."

Sirius chuckled. "What was normal? Did they scream and claw at each other's throats?"

"No, Prongs and Lily acted like normal strangers. It was rather civilized I must say," Remus interjected before Sirius could get another smart aleck remark in.

"I tried my best, guys," James said.

"Oh look, it's Lily!" Emmaline piped up and waved her friend into the compartment. James cursed silently to himself when realized the only open seat was next to him.

Lily walked into the compartment and instantly frowned when she saw James. "What are they doing here?" she asked poisonously, pointing at each of the Marauders. James steeled himself and bit back an equally venomous retort.

Luckily for him, Remus spoke up. "Apparently some first years stole your compartment and so, I invited you into our compartment." Marlene nodded and confirmed Remus's story.

Before Lily could sit down, James asked Remus, "Can you switch seats with me?" Remus raised an eyebrow, but stood up to switch seats with James nevertheless. James ignored the look Lily gave him when he got up and sat down next to Sirius.

Lily sat down next to Remus with a huff and glared at James. James stared at the game of Exploding Snaps happening to his left. But even he couldn't miss the bemused expression on Marlene and Emmaline's faces.

"James Potter doesn't want to sit next to Lily Evans? What is happening right now?" Marlene piped up.

"So Padfoot, when is the first practice of the year?" James asked, hopefully throwing off Marlene the gossip bloodhound. She was the seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Sirius scratched his chin in thought before answering. "I'm thinking tryouts after the second week and practice a week after I post the new positions."

James nodded. "I'll make sure to note that in the schedules, Padfoot. Who do we need right now anyways?"

"Well, both our keeper, a chaser, and a beater graduated last year. I might promote the reserves, but I want to try them out first," Sirius answered. He smirked at Marlene and said, "Maybe even try out a new Seeker."

Marlene laughed and slapped Sirius playfully on the arm. "I doubt any of them are as fast as me!"

The playful banter in the compartment when Lily shot up from her seat. "Why are you ignoring me, James?" she yelled, pointing her finger at him. Her chest heaved in and out with labored breaths.

Remus opened his mouth to intervene for his friend, but Lily shushed him instantly. "I want to hear it from him, Remus." James shared glances with the Marauders and thought about what the best course of action would be. He had a feeling she wouldn't be appeased by any of his answers.

"What are you going to do, mate?" Sirius whispered. James shrugged. He was caught and he knew it.

"Look, Evans. I told you before we left that I was done arguing; so can we just leave it at that?" James said. He avoided looking Lily in the eyes. No matter how much he loved those emerald green eyes, he couldn't bear to look into them without being judged.

Lily snorted derisively. "Is this your master plan to get me to shag you or something? It's not going to work, James!"

"First, please call me Potter. Only my friends call me James. And secondly, there is no plan. I don't want to shag you, Evans. I don't want anything to do with you outside of our Head duties," James retorted. He controlled himself from going any further, but Lily fuming over his head was making it hard for him. Remus was right. Not arguing with Lily was harder than James could ever fathom. He hated her thinking the only reason he asked her out was to carve another non-existent notch in his bedpost.

Before Lily could get another word in edgewise, James shot up and made his move towards the compartment door. "Guys, I'll catch you when we go to the castle. I'm going to the Head compartment to get started on the prefect schedules," James said and left quickly, but not before noticing the stunned expression on Marlene and Emmaline's face. He didn't dare look at Lily.

James's long legs carried him quickly to the front of the train and into the Head Compartment. He brandished his wand and silently casted a locking charm on the door before collapsing into the leather chair. He kicked his feet up and rested them on the seat opposite him. Something inside him wanted to talk to her, just try and make things work, but something deeper inside him told him to stop and just cut his losses.

James reached into his satchel and brought out the schedules. He had no idea what to do with them, but he just looked through the packet in his hands to try and make sense of it. It wasn't long before someone tried to break open the Head Compartment door. James heard Lily cast the unlocking charm and she burst into the compartment like a bat out of hell.

"I wasn't done talking to you, James!" Lily screamed. James winced as her voice echoed loudly through the small compartment.

James sighed and put the schedules back into his satchel. It wasn't going to be finished anytime soon. "Fine, stay here. I'll go back to the compartment," James muttered and tried to snake his way around Lily. She moved and blocked James from getting out.

"No! None of us are going anywhere until we talk about this!" Lily yelled. Her face was red and contorted with anger. She pushed James back down and sat down across from him with a huff.

James sighed and whispered, "Leave me the fuck alone, Evans. Is that too much to ask?"

Lily laughed mockingly. "I've asked you that for six years, James."

"Now that I've started to leave you alone, you're what? You're just going to follow me and scream at me?" James asked. He could feel his anger building, but he fought to restrain himself.

"I want to know why you've been ignoring me and treating me like I'm less than dirt, James!" Lily yelled.

"How many times have I asked you to call me Potter? And you know why I'm ignoring you, Evans? It's because I'm done with whatever it is we had. No more of the arguing, the one-sided affection, and I can't deal with anymore no's, to be frank. I won't do it to myself," James yelled back.

"We are co-Head students and that's it. And isn't that what you wanted? For me to leave you the fuck alone forever!" James continued, not caring about the sad expression on Lily's face.

"What if I do like you though? What if one day I realize that I do in fact like you?" Lily asked. James had considered this during the summer and it pained him to say it, but he had to.

"You don't base a relationship off of arguing. This isn't a romance novel, Evans. Just because we're good at getting on each other's nerves doesn't mean we will ever get together and I learned that the hard way," James murmured softly, looking at his hands.

"You're beautiful, Evans. You're smart and you're passionate as hell, but I can't go back there. That James Potter was a fool for loving you and I can't be that guy anymore. I'm going to be a good Headboy, so you don't need to worry about me fooling around. And I won't be asking you out, bothering you in class with my stupid love notes, or sending you flowers every morning, so don't worry about that," James muttered. "I was an ass about it." It was a relief to get everything off his chest. Maybe then the two of them could be efficient co-Head students, maybe the best Hogwarts has ever seen.

James heard a sniffle from Lily and it pained him to see her cry, but it was the only way for him to get over her. He reached into his pocket and took out a packet of tissues before handing her one. "Here," James muttered. "S'later, Evans."

James picked up his satchel and walked back to his compartment. It was eerily silent and it stayed that way for the duration of the ride. James was silently glad that Lily had not rejoined the group. He couldn't bear to see her after their terse conversation.

The next time he saw her, her eyes were red and slightly swollen. She put on that fake smile that she always did when she was sad as she was directing the First Years and helping them onto the boats with Hagrid. He helped her and Hagrid, but didn't say a word to her. He didn't quite know what to say anyways. It was easier to just ask Hagrid for instructions, bypassing the need to talk to her altogether.

James climbed onto the last carriage with her and just stared at his hands. He noticed her trying to speak up a few times, but no words ever came out. James was surprisingly comfortable with the silence the two shared, no matter how tense it was. It was much easier than talking and potentially falling deeper in love. He almost laughed when he thought back to how stupid he acted in the past years to even sit next to Lily and now that he was, he didn't want to do anything.

James and Lily entered the Great Hall during the Sorting ceremony. James quickly left her side and sat next to Peter at the end of the table where the Marauders always sat. He kept his head down and set his neck in stone so he wouldn't steal glances at Lily.

"She's looking at you, Prongs," Sirius whispered.

James nodded curtly. "So what?"

"She looks like she was crying." Sirius jumped up and clapped when he heard that a First year had been sorted into Gryffindor. James clapped as well, but with much less enthusiasm.

Remus eyed James carefully from across the table. "Prongs, are you okay?" he asked.

James nodded. "Yes," he lied. Saying goodbye to a loved one was always hard. It seemed like the Feast went by in a flash. James watched as his friends inhaled the platters of turkey, roast beef, chicken, and treacle tart in front of him. He ate his share as well, but he didn't quite have the same appetite as them. It all tasted the same to him anyways.

Remus looked up and gestured for James to look behind him. James put his fork down and turned around to see Lily stand behind him. "Dumbledore wants to see us, James," she whispered.

James nodded and turned to his friends. "Catch you guys later," he said before pushing his untouched piece of pie away and getting up. He followed Evans down the hall and to Dumbledore's office, in front of the Gargoyle on the third floor.

"Lemon Drops," Lily said and the Gargoyle opened to reveal a staircase that lead up to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore sat at his desk and was talking to Professor McGonagall. He, himself, was drinking a glass of pumpkin juice and was laughing heartily at a joke the transfiguration teacher told.

Dumbledore put his goblet down when he saw the two enter. "Hello, Mr. Potter and Miss Evans. How was the feast?"

"It was good, Headmaster. Thank you for asking," James said before turning to Professor McGonagall. "Hello, Professor."

McGonagall returned the greeting with a simple nod of head. She turned to Lily and said, "Hello, Miss Evans. I trust you two will get along."

"We will," James said quickly. He could tell McGonagall was quite skeptical of his appointment as Headboy. He could see it on her face. "I'll do my very best to make sure we work well together."

Dumbledore chuckled and stood up from his desk. "Of that, I have no doubt! Mr. Potter will be a fantastic Headboy, Minerva. He has all the makings of an excellent leader. That tailspin dive to interrupt the Ravenclaw seeker from catching the snitch was an excellent maneuver, Mr. Potter. Absolutely brilliant!" Dumbledore beamed.

McGonagall sighed. "I trust you, Albus."

Dumbledore turned to Lily and smiled through his shaggy, white beard. "Miss Evans, I trust that you and Mr. Potter will get along."

Lily hesitated for a moment, but said, "We will, Headmaster," after a moment. James ignored the glances that she stole at him and stayed focused on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore turned to McGonagall and whispered something into her ears. "Minerva, could you show the two to their dorms? I'm quite tired myself," Dumbledore said before sitting down.

McGonagall sighed and gestured for the two to follow her out of Dumbledore's office. It was a short walk through the empty corridors away from the students and to the head dorms. McGonagall stood before a large stone shield with the four houses depicted in each corner. "The password is Mangle Manella. Your trunks are in your respective rooms. I'll leave you two to get settled then," McGonagall said before giving a them each a curt goodnight.

"Mangle Manella," James said and the stone shield disappeared to reveal a staircase that lead up to the Heads Common room. It was furnished like the Gryffindor Common Room, but to a much smaller scale. There was a fireplace at the far wall and it was flanked by two bookshelves. In front of the fireplace was a long sofa, a love seat, and two armchairs that sat side-by-side. A small coffee table was in front of the sofa. On the left, there was the Head Girl bedroom, adorned by a golden HG. On the opposite wall, there was the Head Boy bedroom, adorned by a silver HB.

James looked around the room in awe. It was amazing how homely it felt. He wasn't even perturbed by the fact that Lily Evans would be sleeping across the way from him. James glanced over his shoulder at the redhead and she was also looking around the room in awe. He took this chance to say the first words he would say to her all night. "Good night, Evans."

As James began to walk to his room, he felt her grab onto his elbows. "We still have to finish the schedules," Lily said.

James gently removed Lily's hand from his elbows and scratched the back of his head. "I'll finish them with Remus later. Don't worry about them," James said before trying to get to his room. He growled when she stopped him again.

"The Heads have to do them together," Lily protested.

"I'll do half and you do half, that way we don't have to see each other more than necessary. Easier that way, Evans," James said. James tried to make his way to his room, but stopped in his tracks when he heard a whimper from Lily.

He turned around and she was hugging her knees on the rugged floor. She was trying to hide the fact that she was crying, but it obviously wasn't working. "Why are you crying, Evans?" James asked as if he didn't know the answer. "I'm really tired, Evans. I don't want to deal with this right now."

Lily looked up at James with tears in her eyes. "Why can't we start over? Why am I still Evans to you when you can look at Severus and not call him that ridiculous nickname?"

James ran his hand through his hair and sighed for the nth time that day. "No, we can't start over, Evans. I can't let myself fall in love with you again. I can't get over the fact that I hurt you so much. So….no, Evans. We can't start over," James admitted before leaving the crying redhead by herself.

James collapsed onto his four-poster bed. He didn't even bother to unpack his trunk and he didn't bother to change into his pajamas. All he could do was listen to Lily cry outside in the common room and that grating sound soothed him to an uneasy sleep.

James woke up in the middle of the night. He glanced at his watch. It was 3:43 AM. It was a good a time as any to shower and change. James grabbed a pair of pajamas from his trunk and walked to the bathroom. He noticed a sliver of red hair against the suede red couch.

James stood over Lily Evans, who was asleep but didn't look at all peaceful. He could see the faint trail of dried tears. Her eyes were swollen and red from rubbing and she was shivering, despite the small flame in the fireplace. James had a feeling that he would not be able to enter her room and he couldn't leave her out here to freeze.

James wanted nothing to do with her. She was supposed to be a nobody to him and who was he to care about a random nobody who fell asleep in the cold? But she wasn't just a nobody to him, no matter how much he wished she was. She was Lily Evans and she was the only person in the entire world who could get James to feel the way he does and did.

With a flick of his wand, James transfigured Lily's shirt and jeans into a pair of pajamas. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into his room. Lily stirred slightly when James set her onto his bed, but she didn't wake up. James tucked her in and stared at her. He didn't know what came over him, but he leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead softly.

"Dammit, Lily. Why can't I stop loving you?" James whispered to himself. James conjured up a blanket and settled on the floor, but he couldn't sleep. Not with Lily sleeping three feet from him.

James settled in the armchair by the fire and flipped open a book about defensive strategies in Quidditch, but he couldn't read a word of it. His mind was too wrapped by Lily's bizarre behavior. He couldn't figure out why she was acting so sullen when she realized that James had no intention of being involved with her. He thought it was what Lily wanted. Before he knew it, James fell asleep.

The next month was punctuated by Lily trying to talk to James, but James would put a halt to any personal interaction between him and Lily. He wanted it to be strictly Head business and nothing else. All James wanted to do was make sure that he and Lily were as professional and detached as possible. He stayed out of her way, didn't talk to her in class, didn't talk to her in the Head Dorms, and went out of his way to not speak to her.

If Lily was next to the pumpkin juice pitcher, James would ask the person next to her to hand it to him. If she was next an ingredient he need for potions, he asked someone to get it for him. James liked this system. He was very much in favor of the "Avoid your problems" approach and it was working for him. He didn't have to be nice to her, he didn't have to be mean, he didn't have to be anything.

But after a month, even his friends were beginning to take notice of Lily's sudden emotional decline. She was sullen, sad, and stopped interacting with anyone outside of her friends and the prefects. James noticed this, but he was perfectly fine with it as long as he felt he was doing right by him and her. And he really thought he was.

"You have to talk to her," Marlene said as the team finished their practice that night.

James chuckled. "I know Sirius yelled like a girl tonight when he got hit with that bludger, but that doesn't make him a girl." Despite the joke, James knew exactly what Marlene was referring to. He just hoped that would throw her off track.

Marlene shook her head and pushed James, his back hitting a tree. Marlene took a step forward and poked James in the chest. "I mean, Lily. She's not doing too well! Please talk to her!"

James shook his head vehemently. "My system is working. I'm not going to talk to Evans!" James retorted. He shoved past Marlene, but was met face-to-face with Sirius instead.

"James," Sirius began. James noticed the use of his first name immediately. Sirius was…well, serious. "Listen to Marlene."

James felt a pang of betrayal. "Why do you care, Sirius? You don't even like Evans!"

Sirius sighed and scratched the back of his head, much like James did when he was nervous. "I don't. But, you do, so you need to talk about it."

James growled and tried to shove past Sirius, but Sirius pushed him back. "I don't like Evans. I'm done with her, Sirius. You saw what happened at the platform last summer! I'm through with that," James yelled.

"James, she's not doing okay. She's not eating, she's not studying, and she's just…not the Lily Evans we knew," Marlene interjected. She stood between James and Sirius, probably to act as a barrier between the two should it come to a fist fight.

James laughed morbidly. "And why is that my problem? Evans is sad! Boo fucking hoo!"

Sirius scowled at James. "James! What is the matter with you?"

James looked at Sirius incredulously. "Me? Me? What's the matter with me? I didn't do a damn thing! So what? When I don't want anything to do with her, she wants me? That's not how this shit works, Sirius!"

Much to James's surprise, it was Marlene who cocked her fist back and mauled James in the face, knocking his glasses to the ground. "It's your duty as Head Boy to help your fellow student, James! Stop being so fucking selfish, you piece of shit!"

James rubbed his bloodied lip and picked his glasses up off the ground. He got up and stared coldly at his best friend and Marlene. "You think that I'm going to go up there and kiss her all better? Not how this works. I would rather die than love her again," James spat venomously.

"Then why haven't you gone on a single date? You didn't even go to Hogsmeade with us last time," Sirius countered. "And it's not like girls haven't asked you, James. They have and every one of them, you've said no to! Even when you pined after Evans, you still went on dates to Hogsmeade!"

James scoffed at Sirius's logic. "So because I haven't gone on a date, I'm still hung up on Evans? None of those girls are good enough to go with me anyways. They're just piling up now that they realized I'm done with Evans." Even James was appalled by his own arrogance, but he didn't even show it.

Marlene looked up at her old captain with pleading eyes. "Please, just talk to her. She's in the Heads Common Room."

James cursed underneath his breath. He hated it when girls pleaded with their eyes. It's how his mother got him to go with her to the Ministry ball last Christmas instead of hanging out with the boys. "Fine," James muttered through gritted teeth.

James didn't bid Marlene and Sirius goodbye as he stalked away from the pitch and back into the castle. He had neglected to change from his quidditch uniform back into his robes, so he had to be quick or the dirt he left all over the pristine floor would attract Filch to come and give him detention.

"Mangle Manella," James muttered and once the shield had disappeared, he slowly walked up the stairs, his broom thumping against the steps. Lily was slumped over in front of the coffee table, going over what seemed like the prefect's schedules.

James tossed his broomstick to the side and sat in the loveseat across from Lily. "Evans, Marlene said you wanted to talk," James whispered. He felt nervous, more nervous than the first time he asked her out. Lily ignored James and continued scribbling on the parchment in front of her. He knew it was a mistake coming up here to talk to her.

"Fine. I didn't want to talk anyways," James muttered and he got up to go change out of his Quidditch uniform.

Lily's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Change out of your dirty uniform and then we'll talk," she said. Her voice trembled slightly.

James nodded, but didn't say anything. He went into his room and exchanged the dirty uniform for a t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

"What did you want to talk about?" James asked as he took a seat.

Lily looked up from her page and stared James in the eyes. James heart surged when she looked so sad, so void of life. "Did you finish the schedules?" she stammered out.

James scowled at the girl and shot up from his seat. "Bloody waste of my fucking time," James cursed underneath his breath. If she wasn't going to talk, then he wasn't going to listen. He wasn't going to play these games. Not anymore.

"Wait! Wait! I'm sorry," Lily said quickly. "Please sit down."

James obeyed reluctantly and waited for Lily to say something of actual significance. "This cold war between us…I don't like it," Lily started awkwardly. James could tell that she didn't have a lot of experience talking from the heart before. Probably why she had so few boyfriends.

"Well, it works for me," James said.

"But not for me," Lily countered. "I know its's strange, but I want to try being friends. Or at least acquaintances. I see how you act around me and it hurts my feelings."

James snorted derisively. "Evans, this is working. I can't hurt your feelings because I'm not talking to you!"

"It's like I don't exist to you outside of Head business! At least when you annoyed me, it was because you knew I was a person! Now, it's like I'm a ghost that you don't even see anymore!" Lily retorted. James was glad that life had returned to her eyes now, even if it was because she was livid with him.

"See! This is why we don't talk. All you do is get angry with me! Plus, isn't this what you wanted? Me to leave you alone forever?"

"No! I wanted you to be nice to me," Lily countered. "I would rather the you who tutors the younger ones talk to me, not the one who pranks Slytherins without remorse. Why can't the James I know be the James that is silently studying in the library for his OWLS? Why can't I see the James that Black, Pettigrew, and Remus see? Why is the James I see the one who is mercilessly teasing me?"

James scowled. He was caught and he knew it. "You hate me. Let's just keep it that way," James said lamely. He knew Lily Evans, the sharp Lily Evans, would dismantle his argument in seconds.

"I don't hate you. I don't want to hate you, James. Why are you so keen on keeping it that way?" Lily said.

"Because no matter what type of 'guy' I am to you; you'll always say no to me. Even if I am nice and sensitive, I'll always be the chump that will ask you out and get a no thrown in his fucking face," James argued. He stared at Lily as intensely as he could and he could see the cogs whirring as she connected the dots in her head. He stopped talking to her because he would rather her not exist to him than to be rejected anymore.

"I would rather die than have the girl of my dreams reject me anymore. So do me a favor, if you want me to be nice and that guy to you, kill me first," James whispered dangerously low through gritted teeth.

"So that's it. Because I said no a few times to you, I'm dead to you," Lily whispered.

"You how it felt when Snape called you a mudblood? Imagine that every time you said no," James said through gritted teeth. "I don't think you owe anything to me. It wasn't your fault I fell in love with you. That was on me. And I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. I just hope Voldemort gets to me before you do. At least that way I die young."

Lily sprang to her feet and slapped James across the face with all her might, leaving a red welt across his face. Tears threatened to fall from her pretty green eyes. "You would rather be killed by Voldemort than love me? Is that right?"

James touched the spot where Lily had slapped him with the tips of his fingers. "No. I would much rather love you, but since that's off the table, I guess Voldemort is the second best thing." Lily raised her hand to slap James again, but he caught her wrist before she made contact with his face.

Lily struggled against James's ironclad grip, but it was no use. James let go of Lily's wrist once he deemed that she wouldn't slap him again. "So that's it? It's over before it even started?" Lily asked solemnly. He didn't quite know how to answer her.

Lily glanced up at James with her big, green eyes. "I know what you said to me that night, James. I know you still love me." James was stunned. He didn't quite know how to process it. All the while, she gathered up her papers and stood in front of James. She looked up at him. She wasn't quite as tall as him. He was a bountiful six feet while she was a meager 5'5".

"I'm not letting it end, James," she whispered. She tiptoed and pressed her lips softly to James. Before James could deepen the kiss, Lily scattered off to the safe domain of her own dorm room.

James immediately stalked over to the kitchenette and withdrew a full bottle of firewhiskey and poured himself a full glass. He drank it in one go and then another. And then another. Once he was properly sloshed, he went to bed and slept for what seemed to be like a month.

Much to James's dismay, Lily Evans was redoubling her efforts to get James to talk to her. No longer was she the meek girl that James could ignore, she was the old Lily Evans and her newfound passion was making James talk to her. She arranged any schedule change so that she and James would be forced to patrol together, she forced her way into his transfiguration tutoring sessions, and she took Sirius's seat next to James, despite Sirius's annoyance. She launched herself into any open space near James and she cheered louder than anyone at their Quidditch practices.

James tried to hide from the redhead, but she found him without fail. He was starting to think she had nicked the map off of Remus, so he took it for himself from their old dorm. But Lily still found him within minutes of him hiding. And her efforts were beginning to wear away at James's defense. He didn't want to be her friend. He didn't want to be there when she got married off to someone else. He would rather just be dead than see that.

James launched himself into the 7th year boy's dormitory after he had escaped from the redhead. "Remus, Remus! You guys have to help me," James cried.

Remus looked up from the DADA textbook in his lap and chuckled softly. "What's up, Prongs? Lily on your tail again?"

Sirius cackled with laughter. "It'll be a few minutes before she finds you, Prongs. Why don't you just give in?"

"Yeah, Prongs. Let's face it, you can't beat her," Peter concurred without looking away from the Potions essay he was writing.

James growled. "You guys are supposed to be on my side! Not Lily's!" James's eyes grew wide as the name slipped out of his mouth. He called her Lily and not Evans. She was getting to him. He just hoped that the guys didn't notice it.

But as the Marauders always do, they noticed. "You called her Lily?" Peter chimed. He was smiling brightly at James.

"Slip of tongue, Wormtail," James stammered out.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Prongsie," Sirius jokingly reprimanded.

James groaned. He took the map out of his pocket and looked for Lily's dot. She was in the Common Room. It hadn't even been a minute. "She's here," James groaned. "Hide me! Hide me!"

James heard the light pitter patter of Lily's footsteps as she walked up the stairs to their door. Within seconds, James found himself underneath Sirius's bed along with a pile of discarded clothing.

"Where's James? I know he's here," James heard Lily say. He quickly latched his hand over his mouth so she couldn't hear him breathing. Thankfully, James didn't hear any of his friends say something. With a sigh of relief, he opened his eyes, but he was met face-to-face with a pair of green ones staring in the face.

"Hello there, James," Lily cooed, mischievously. James was about to say something, but he felt a pair of hands latch around his ankles and drag him out from his cozy hiding spot.

"Thanks, Black."

"Yeah, thanks, Black," James muttered darkly.

"You're welcome, Evans. Prongs," Sirius replied mockingly before jumping back onto his bed and to his quidditch magazine.

James got up and wiped the dust off his robes. "How did you find me, Evans?"

Remus laughed loudly. "Lily a minute ago and now he's back to Evans! Such a charmer, eh Wormtail?"

Peter laughed softly in return, but did not divert his attention away from the potions essay he was scribbling on. "That he is, Moony."

Lily laughed along with the others, much to James's dismay. She turned to James and smiled softly. "I always know where to find you, James. You're not as sneaky as you think you are."

James fought back a smile. "I know a place where you can't find me," James challenged and looked out the window at the Forbidden Forest.

Lily shook her head and clicked her tongue in admonishment. "Don't turn into a stag and prance about in the Forbidden Forest, James."

The four boys turned to her in shock. "How…how did you know?" James stammered.

"You disappear every full moon and Remus is sick every full moon. Doesn't take a lot to connect those dots! And one time, I looked out the window and I see a stag, a black dog, and what seems to be a rat riding on a werewolf. I'm not an idiot, Prongs," Lily reasoned.

James sighed. "Fine. What do you want, Evans?"

Lily tickled her chin with her fingers and she eyed James playfully. "All this running has made me quite hungry. I'm sure the four of you know of the mythically Hogwarts kitchen," Lily said.

James ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head nervously. "You want me to show you to the Kitchen?"

Lily shook her head. "No, I want to eat with a friend named James Potter."

"Okay, fine. Let's go get some food," James resigned. "Who told you where I was hiding anyways?"

Lily chuckled. "Your feet were sticking out from underneath Black's bed."

"You idiot," Sirius laughed.

With that, James and Lily walked through the halls. He led her down the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff basement and stopped in front of a portrait of fruit. "Tickle the pear, Evans," James said, pointing at the green pear.

"Lily."  
"Excuse me?"

"Call me Lily, James."

"Fine. Tickle the pear, _Lily_ ," James said. Lily skipped over to the pear and tickled it. She leapt back when the pear laughed and a doorknob appeared in place of it. Lily tentatively grabbed the doorknob and turned it, letting them enter the elusive Hogwarts Kitchens. The Kitchen was an enormous, high-ceiling room with a large hearth roaring at the far end. Lily gasped in awe at the number of house-elves weaving in about the brass pots and Tupperware.

James kneeled down and a house-elf appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Hello, Master Potter. What can I get for you, sir?"

James smiled brightly at the small elf. "My name is James, Wonky. And this is Lily Evans, a…an acquaintance of mine," James said.

"Acquaintance?" Wonky asked.

"Someone I know," James clarified.

"Of course, Master Potter. What can I get for you and Mistress Evans?" Wonky nodded.

James looked up at Lily and shrugged. "What do you want to eat?"

"Treacle tart," Lily said almost immediately, followed by a faint blush on her face.

"And for you, Master Potter?" Wonky asked.

"Just tea is fine."

"Of course, Master Potter."

James stood up and gestured for Lily to sit across from him at the same counter. "Treacle tart for dinner? Aren't you worried about diabetes? I heard it's quite the handful for muggles."

"I'm feeling something sweet, James. You're not eating?" Lily asked. She leaned forward and James caught a whiff of the lavender scenting her hair.

"Not feeling particularly hungry, Evans," James replied.

"Lily. Call me Lily," Lily said, feigning annoyance. James chuckled and nodded.

Wonky reappeared a moment later with a plate of treacle tart and a cup of earl grey tea for James. "Enjoy," the elf said, disappearing before James and Lily could say thank you.

Lily grabbed the spoon and dug hungrily into her treacle tart. James smiled at the satisfied look on Lily's porcelain face. "It's good, I take it," James said as he sipped at his hot cup of tea.

Lily winked at James. "Perfect, James."

James waited until Lily finished eating before asking her, "You've worked really hard to corner me. Now what do you want?"

Lily sighed and sipped at a cup of water tentatively. "I don't want anything from you, James. I just want to be your friend."

"After six years, what makes you think I believe you would want to be my friend? And you forgot, I can't do friends with you, Lily," James replied.

Lily sighed. "I can't love someone unless I'm their friend first," Lily mused.

James scoffed, but it was only to hide the surge of hope he thought was long dead in his chest. "If this is your idea of a game…" James said threateningly.

Lily shook her head. "No more games, James."

James looked into her eyes and could see she was telling the truth. "Fine. We'll try being friends," James relented.

"Wonky!" James called and the house-elf appeared instantly.

"Yes, Master Potter?" Wonky asked.

"You remember the bottle of red wine I asked you to store away for me? Can you get it and two glasses please?" James asked.

"Of course, Master Potter," Wonky said and disappeared for a minute before reappearing with an unmarked bottle of red wine and two sparkling clean glasses.

"Thank you," James said, taking the three items for the small elf.

"You can store wine here?" Lily asked incredulously.

James winked at her as he uncorked the bottle. "An advantage of being a Potter, my dear." He poured two glasses and handed on to Lily, who seemed reluctant to accept it. She took a sip of it and was instantly disgusted by it, judging from the pained expression on her face.

"So bitter! What is this?" Lily said as she tried to wipe the leftover wine off her tongue with a paper towel.

James shook his head. "Your kind loves red wine. I actually like red wine more than I like butterbeer, but don't tell Sirius that," James said as he took another sip of the deliciously bitter wine.

"You alcoholic," Lily playfully reprimanded before trying another sip. "Nope, still can't do it." James laughed and he was glad that Lily was now his friend.

The word spread quickly that the frigid relationship between the Marauder, James Potter, and the anti-Marauder, Lily Evans, had melted away into a rather warm friendship. Despite James's insistence that a friendship was advantageous because the two were co-Heads, it was abundantly clear to the entire Hogwarts populace that this was beyond a friendship out of convenience. James was rarely seen not at Lily's side and vice versa. They could be seen in the library silently studying side-by-side, in the hallways between classes making each other laugh, and Lily even went to all the Quidditch practices to cheer James on despite her best friend Marlene being on the pitch as well.

James and Lily had their own brunch every Sunday instead of walking down to the Great Hall. Lily's excuse was that the walk from the Head's Dorm to the Great Hall was cold and she would rather be toasty warm by the fire that roared in the fireplace. It was no wonder that Remus said to James, "You should ask Lily out" during one of their outings to Hogsmeade under the Invisibility Cloak.

James shook his head, but smiled playfully. He swirled a glass of firewhisky around before downing it in one go. "Me and Lily are just friends. I don't want to ruin it by asking her out, Moony."

"This is the first time you've come to Hogsmeades with us," Sirius said. "Most of the time, you're with Evans studying, or doing god knows what!"

Wormtail raised his glass in agreement. "I'm sure if you had to choose between Lily or us to save, you would choose Lily in a heartbeat!"

"I can't sleep with you guys, though," James said without thinking.

"And you can sleep with Evans?" Sirius retorted immediately. James cringed at his own slip of tongue.

"Hence you should ask Lily out, Prongs," Remus reiterated.

"She's really smart, Prongs. She helped me get an E on my last Potions essay! Even Slughorn was surprised," Peter added.

James nodded, but didn't say another word on the matter. He knew that he was still in love with her, but he liked being her friend more.

"You know that Amos guy asked her to Hogsmeade last night?" Remus said.

"Wh…What?" James stammered.

Sirius clicked his tongue at Remus. "Don't pull Prong's tail like that, Moony. That's awfully devious of you!" He turned to James and smiled. "Evans said no. She said she was going to study with you in the library instead."

Peter patted James on the back. "You should talk to her, Prongs! She'll probably say yes if you ask her."

James sipped at his drink. He didn't quite know what he should do. The old Prongs would have leapt at the opportunity to take Evans on the date of her life. But the new Prongs? The one who was friends with Lily Evans? That James would not have sprung for anything less than absolute certainty.

"Come on, Prongs. It's the last Hogsmeades trip before the Christmas Holiday anyways," Remus egged James on.

"I'm staying at Hogwarts since my parents are in France right now and so is Lily," James said. "I'll probably see her the entire Christmas Holidays." James couldn't help but smile at the thought of spending Christmas with Lily.

"It's November and you already look like Christmas is here," Peter joked. _Because it has_ , James thought to himself.

When James got back to the Heads Dorm after dropping off the lads at their dorm, James saw Lily fast asleep on the couch. Judging from how warm the air was around the couch, James deduced that Lily had casted a Warming Charm on the couch before falling asleep. A neat stack of papers was on the coffee table and so was her potions textbook.

James sighed contently as he took in the warm sight of Lily Evans. She was wearing a t-shirt that rode slightly up her stomach, showing off a stretch of creamy white skin. James kneeled down and moved the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She must have been waiting up all night for him to come back from Hogsmeade.

James gently nudged Lily awake. "Hey, sleepyhead," James whispered delicately into her ear. James watched a smile curled onto Lily's pale lips.

"Carry me to bed, James," Lily whispered softly, her eyes still closed.

"I can't get into your room, Lily," James replied softly. Lily giggled as his breath tickled her cheek.

"Take me to your room," Lily suggested. James would have taken a step back, but he knew she would never go there with him. They were just friends after all.

"Are you sure you're asleep? You're awfully talkative for a girl who's asleep," James chuckled.

"I am asleep, so could you do me a favor and tuck me in," Lily giggled.

James sighed and hoisted Lily into his arms. She tucked her head into his chest and curled up even more in his arms. James nudged the door open with his feet and laid her on his bed. Before he could leave her side, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

James turned around was met with an intense look in her beautiful green eyes. "Stay." It was a simple command, but it meant so much more.

"What?" James asked.

Lily's face turned bright red. "Stay."

"Lily…" James began but Lily quickly interrupted him.

"Please, James. Stay with me for the night. It's just sleeping." Lily pleaded James with her eyes. They were so bright, so hopeful, and oh so enticing. He just couldn't say no.

"All right, Evans," James smirked. He lifted the shirt over his head, much to Lily's embarrassment. "I sleep shirtless."

Lily whispered something into the blankets. It clearly wasn't meant for his ears. "Even better." James smirked as he slid into the blankets next to Lily. Lily tucked her head into James's chest and sighed contently when James's arms wrapped around her to bring her closer to him.

"What are you doing over the weekend?" Lily whispered into his chest, her warm breathing tickling James. James leaned in and brought his nose to the part in Lily's hair, taking a deep whiff of the lavender shampoo.

"Nothing," he whispered. "Why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Lily asked. James's heart beat rapidly against his chest at the thought of going to Hogsmeade with Lily. But he didn't want to go. The Hogsmeade visit would be on a Sunday and that was brunch day. And to be honest, James would much rather spend the day lazing around the fire with Lily than go to Madam Puddifoot or the Three Broomsticks.

"No, I don't want to go to Hogsmeade, Lily," James answered truthfully. Lily's breath hitched in her throat. James felt a warm, wet teardrop on his chest and he looked down to see Lily crying silently.

"What's wrong, Lily?" James whispered.

She shook her head vehemently and tried to push away from James. James tightened his grip around her in response. "Lily, stop. Listen to me."

"No! This was a mistake!" Lily cried, continuing to struggle against James's ironclad grip. James leaned in and pressed his lips to Lily's forehead, silencing her.

"I would much rather lay in bed, pressing kisses to your forehead than wandering around in the snow. I would much rather eat your eggs while lounging around the fire than sitting with a bunch of third years who can't seem to be keep quiet. So no, I don't want to go to Hogsmeade, Lily," James whispered.

Lily looked up at James with big, hopeful eyes. So green and so all encompassing, James was lost in them for a moment. "Are you being serious, James?"

James leaned down to press another kiss to her forehead. "Lily Evans, do you want to eat brunch with me on Sunday instead of stomping around in the freezing cold?"

Lily giggled and nodded so violently, she shook James. "I would love that, James Potter."

James chuckled and placed a kiss on Lily's lips. "All right, Evans."


End file.
